President Joe Biden’s weeks-long fight for his political fight continued at Thursday’s much-hyped NATO summit press conference. However, it was not the media blockbuster as advertised. Rather than face a ravenous press corps demanding him to prove his competency, he danced between a pre-selected list of journalists who inquired about both his competency as a candidate and the foreign policy issues the summit was ostensibly about.
The nearly hourlong conference with the press-shy president was promoted by his aides as a final litmus test for his flailing candidacy, even dubbed the “big boy” press conference by a spokesman on Monday. It also served as another platform for the president’s defiance, as he repeated his refusal to withdraw from the presidential race. How successful he was remains to be seen; more Democratic policymakers called for him to exit the race after it ended.
Thursday’s gathering reflected a world in which both the press corps and Biden do not live, one where journalists can follow up on the long-term matters of China’s growing strength and war negotiations but forget on-the-spot rebuttals to the president’s immediate gaffes.
The choreography became apparent within the event’s first few minutes, where Biden acknowledged he’d answer questions from a prepared list of journalists. The admission immediately defused the press conference’s urgency, particularly for a president who’s promised allies more off-the-cuff moments. No audible objections to the format were heard.
That’s not to say the questions were not focused on the issue at hand. Reuters’ Jeff Mason asked how the president was factoring in the calls from allies—Democratic congressman, allies, George Clooney—to step down into his decision to stay, along with his thoughts on Kamala Harris’ ability to defeat Donald Trump. It immediately prompted a gaffe—“Vice President Trump” trended immediately on social media platforms—and became a worrisome indicator of the storm that’d follow.
But the storm quelled, as the president’s flub was not followed up on until after the press conference concluded by NBC’s Peter Alexander, who asked what the president thought of Trump’s immediate seizing of the embarrassing mix-up.
“Listen to him,” Biden said.
Instead, journalists from the Associated Press, CBS, Bloomberg, and elsewhere often paired their questions on Biden’s decline with those on international relations. They’re questions appropriate for the venue of the NATO Summit, where presidents are tested on their foreign policy bona fides after days of dealing with global leaders, but one that appeared to neglect the political immediacy apparent to Americans—that is, voters—tuning in.
It’s also a line of questioning where the president appeared most comfortable, offering coherent, thoughtful responses to questions involving China’s entanglement with Russia and other U.S. adversaries and promoting his view on a two-state solution between Israel and Gaza. The questions served a role in showing the press corps—and those voters—a leader who can still think on his feet, but they seemed oddly out of place at an opportunity where journalists could question a Biden who’s been kept away from them for so long.
Thursday’s press conference marked the culmination of the ongoing battle between the White House press corps and Biden press flacks, testing the credibility of an operation that’s worked to both share the 81-year-old president’s vision with the American people while keeping the president himself sheltered from unscripted scrutiny.
White House reporters have shared their concerns with The Daily Beast and other publications over the Biden administration’s honesty over Biden’s health and their rigidness with his schedule. That strained credibility was further diminished after reporters demanded Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre answer why a Parkinson’s specialist visited the White House eight times between last summer and March.
After Jean-Pierre refused to comment on Monday on the visits or name Dr. Kevin Cannard, citing privacy concerns despite public visitor logs, CBS White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe chastised the flack for her opaqueness.
“We’re miffed around here about how information has been shared with the press corps about him,” O’Keefe said. Just hours later, despite their stated security and privacy concerns, the White House released a letter by Dr. Cannard outlining his White House visits.
The episode reflected the tensions between the journalists and the White House they cover in getting information to the public, particularly when Biden has done fewer solo press conferences than any president since Ronald Reagan. His last solo press conference was in November.
Presidential press conferences can often be illuminating, whether into certain policy issues or the president himself. They can put different journalists under a national spotlight, with Trump-era conferences elevating personalities such as CNN’s Jim Acosta and The Grio’s April Ryan.
After Republicans lost the House in the 2018 midterms, then-President Donald Trump repeatedly sparred with Acosta over Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference. His White House eventually revoked Acosta’s “hard pass” that allowed him to cover the administration, prompting him and CNN to successfully sue for its reinstatement. Trump also lashed out at Ryan during that conference, later calling her “nasty” and a “loser” for her questions on voter suppression. The incident allowed reporters to go toe-to-toe with an evasive leader, an opportunity that was missed from the structured setting on Thursday.
Trump’s COVID-era press briefings also gave some insight into his administration’s management of that crisis, providing notable moments including Trump’s suggestion that injecting disinfectants could be used to kill the virus and the promotion of unproven drugs to try and treat it. The press conferences were later nixed after Trump’s rambling earned Republican criticism.
Press battles have continued into the Biden administration, both over stories involving Biden’s age and when defending his policy record.
Biden and the White House at large have repeatedly duked it out with Fox News’ Peter Doocy, prompting Biden to chide him as a “stupid son of a bitch” following a question on inflation in 2022. Biden eventually called Doocy to apologize.
That animus continued through earlier this year, however, following the release of special counsel Robert Hur’s report that criticized Biden’s age and mental acuity. Doocy asked Biden about the state of his memory and whether he could continue as president.
“My memory is so bad, I let you speak,” Biden said.
Thursday’s press conference offered journalists to impress upon the president the need for him to answer their questions and highlight what their own reports say about his waning chances of winning in November. Biden, however, played a switcheroo, seizing the chance to reinforce his defiance. When asked about whether he would step aside if aides presented him with data that Harris could beat Trump over him, Biden refused.
“Not unless they came back and said there’s no way you can win,” Biden said. “No one’s saying that. No poll says that.”
The New York Times reported Thursday that the Biden campaign was testing that match-up. An ABC poll on Thursday showed Harris leading Trump 49 percent to 46 percent.
No reporter asked about either report.
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